Tree bark in the world’s forests absorbs the greenhouse gas methane, my colleagues and I have demonstrated for the first time on a global scale – a discovery that could have big implications for tackling climate change.
As trees photosynthesise, their leaves take up carbon dioxide (CO₂) and lock it away as biomass in their trunks and branches providing a long-term store of carbon. But now, our large-scale study proves that there’s another way that trees absorb greenhouse gases – so forests can provide even more climate benefits than previously thought.
